Friday, 19 June 2015

College Admission Essays: Taking a Step Into the College World

Years of sweet teenage fun and merry-go- round experience in high school is over. Reality sets in to take a further step into the educational realm. Many questions are then raised as to, "What career to pursue?", "What college or university to go to?" or "How to apply?"

Annually, vast number of graduates from secondary education take in stride to secure a seat to pursue greater heights in the academic milieu. However, competition is intensified. One of the requirements in applying to colleges is to write a college admission essay. There are various ways and techniques in writing this composition but it is important to understand and keep in mind certain guidelines.

First, identify your objective to accomplish the goal. The essay must be purposefully written to showcase your uniqueness among thousands of applicants and exhibit a strong desire to learn and advance professionally. Another way of putting it is by asking, what is your strongest asset? And what really drives you to enter college?

Second step is a strict compliance to the specified length, spacing, margin, font style and size on the basis of the format the school adapted, whether MLA, APA or CBE. Take note, plagiarism is strongly discouraged.

Writing a catchy introduction is another key in creating a spark of interest among admission officers who read hundreds if not thousands of admission essays. You can start with a quotation, a very intriguing question, a realization, an observation, or perhaps even sharing a childhood dream.

There are many ways of writing your essay creatively. Think of your greatest challenge or remarkable achievement, your life-changing moment, your inspirational story, the greatest influence in your life, the impact you want to make in the society or an ambition you want to achieve.

Believe that there is wisdom in each and every experience we have, once learned they can be a strong foundation to build a good imprint of our character. Hence, leaving a positive impression about yourself may lead to a positive response as well. But be mindful that a balanced content must bring out the main thought, maintain coherence, embrace clarity and express depth in the writer's 'voice'.

Sentence structure must also be studied carefully, including grammatical errors and misspelled words. Ask for help if needed, especially in proofreading and revising. The body of the essay could be a reflection of one's self and the motivation behind the person's intent. Remember that your college admission essay will leave a lasting impression about you, which can be a deciding factor whether to accept you or not.

Ending the essay, pose also another challenge. It's like saying the last words in two to three sentences or a little more than that. In addition, it should highlight the core of the content. But whether you use a powerful remark or a reflective ending, connecting to the main idea should be substantial. Pen it in a way to leave the reader refreshed, delighted and inspired.

As each person has their own unique personality, each one has also their own style and peculiarity of expression. Make your essay uniquely yours. Yet knowing your objective and applying all these key principles into writing is not enough. The secret lies in writing it with your heart, in the signature of yourself.

Myrtle Joy Son, is a freelance writer and currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health, at the Center for Graduate Studies of the Adventist University of the Philippines.